Required Books
- Kottak's Mirror for Humanity (6th ed -- 4th or 5th are ok, but the chapters are ordered differently -- see table at right)
An e-book version of this text is available for $33.75 at CourseSmart.com (180 day subscription) - Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (any edition) -- for the 1st half of the course [2 copies are on reserve in the library]
- Shostak's Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman (any edition) -- for the 2nd half of the course [2 copies are on reserve in the library]
Public Radio interviews with Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and Boua Tong Xiong, Hmong advisor and spiritual leader in Connecticut.
Reading Prep Forms - There are no specific written tasks associated with Nisa or Spirit. If an "assignment" (ungraded, no points) would help you to remember the information and provide you some structure, these reading prep forms may be of use.
Nisa Reading Prep Form (doc, pdf)
Spirit Catches You Reading Prep Form (doc, pdf)
Reading Prep Form for Articles (doc, pdf)
Mirror for Humanity Chapter Comparison for Different Editions
| 6th ed | 5th ed | 4th ed |
| 1 What is Anthropology? | 1 | 1 |
| 2 Ethics and Methods | 2 | 2 |
| 3 Culture | 3 | 3 |
| 4 Language and Communication | 5 | 5 |
| 5 Making a Living (Economy) | 6 | 6 |
| 6 Political Systems | 7 | 7 |
| 7 Families, Kinship and Marriage | 8 | 8 |
| 8 Gender | 9 | 9 |
| 9 Religion | 10 | 10 |
| 10 World System & Colonialism | 11, 12 | 11, 12 |
| 11 Ethnicity and Race | 4 | 4 |
| 12 Applying Anthropology | 1 (some) | 1 (some) |
| 13 Cultural Exchange and Survival | 13 | 13 |
Download this table (pdf).